Autism Speaks U “Light It Up Blue” LIVE Q&A Transcript

On Thursday, February 16, our Autism Speaks U team hosted a LIVE Facebook Q&A for college students across the country. We discussed Light It Up Blue, World Autism Awareness Day, awareness/fundraising event ideas and shared links to awareness and promotions resources. If you were unable to join, read below for the full transcript. Visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/U for more information.

Looks like we have a diverse group here! If anyone comes on later, please post your name and school.

5:07

Comment From Brookie

Meredith College Raleigh NC

5:07

Comment From Katrina Mesina

Chicago Autism Speaks Office

5:07

For those new to Autism Speaks U, it is a program that supports students who
-host awareness, advocacy and fundraising events
-start chapters
-become campus ambassadors.We have 50 official Autism Speaks U Chapters across the country and work with hundreds of students who host events!

This Q&A will include the following:
-Explanation of Light It Up Blue & World Autism Awareness Day.
-Overview of how to get your campus to participate.
-Event ideas and links to resources.
-Question and answer session.

5:08

Before we dive into our first topic, we’d like to ask….

5:08

Did you know that Monday, April 2 is Light It Up Blue and World Autism Awareness Day?

Yes: ( 73% )

No: ( 27% )

5:09

Thanks for the feedback.For those who answered no, Light It Up Blue is Autism Speaks 3rd annual awareness campaign, where iconic buildings, landmarks and schools across the world are asked to change their lights from white to blue on April 2nd in Honor of United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day.

5:09

April 2nd also kicks off Autism Awareness Month which is all throughout April.

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So what does this mean?April 2nd is a BIG deal, and we need your help to turn everything blue!

5:09

Last year, 150 colleges and universities across the country participated in Light It Up Blue by illuminating a building or structure or by hosting events on campus.

5:10

Did your school light it up blue last year?

Yes: ( 11% )

No: ( 89% )

5:10

Here are few images of buildings that went blue in 2011

5:10

UConn’s Wilbur Cross Building.

5:11

UC Berkeley’s Campanile

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Colgate University’s campus chapel.

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Case Western Reserve University’s Peter B. Lewis building.

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The Great Buddah at Hyogo in Kobe, Japan. – We know it’s not a school, but this is one of our favorite pictures!

5:12

Other incredible monuments that lit it up blue last year include the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Sydney Opera House, Christ the Redeemer Statue, Tokyo Tower and more!

5:12

A new question for everyone…..please vote!

5:12

Is your school planning to light up a building/monument blue this year?

Yes: ( 48% )

No: ( 52% )

5:13

If you answered no, here are 5 easy ways to get your school to participate in Light It Up Blue.

5:13

1. Decide what building you want to light up blue. Determine this BEFORE you ask your school to participate, so you’re prepared when meeting with faculty and staff.

5:13

2. Contact your school’s President and Student Activities Director to ask them to participate. Do this via email or by making an in-person appointment.

4. Ask different academic department heads (Psychology, Education, Communication, Speech & Hearing, etc.) to work with you and the school administration to light up your campus blue.

5:15

5. Explain to your school WHY it is important to Light It Up Blue.

5:15

For example, 1 in 110 individuals are on the spectrum and a new case is diagnosed every 15 minutes. All the more reason to educate your campus about this prevalent disability.

5:16

Your campus will also be aligning themselves with prestigious schools, such as Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern, UC Berkeley and Penn State who lit up their campuses blue last year.

5:16

Now….HOW do you actually light up the building blue? There are 2 ways.

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1. The school purchases blue bulbs from a hardware and lighting supply stores and replaces the white bulbs with blue ones.

5:17

Contact your school’s facilities manager for specific details on what type of lights you will need.

5:17

2. Place gels, filters or blue cellophane over the existing lights. These can be purchased from a local lighting supply store.

5:18

A few tips about the gels/filters…

5:18

If the installed lights are very bright white light, then it is recommended to use Roscolux #80 Primary Blue.If the lights have a medium intensity or the surface isn’t highly reflective, use Roscolux #68 Sky Blue.

5:18

The school’s facilities manager will be able to discuss this in more detail, but it’s helpful to have this information on hand.

5:18

If unable to light up a building blue there are other ways to have your school participate.

5:19

If there is an electronic marquee on your campus ask them to display the Light It Up Blue logo and announce that it is World Autism Awareness Day.

5:19

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Encourage students, faculty and staff to all wear blue on April 2, or on another designated day in April. Gather everyone together, take a picture and send it to us!

5:19

5:20

Get a banner hung cross campus or near student housing to let everyone know that it’s World Autism Awareness Day.

5:20

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Does your school have a well-known statue, monument or mascot? If so, decorate it with Autism Speaks U banners, gear and blue balloons!

5:20

5:20

Deck out the campus in blue. See how one school got approval to paint their campus’ tunnel.

5:21

5:21

There are SO many different ways to light up your campus blue! Be creative, think outside the box and don’t forget to send us pictures!

5:22

Now for a QUESTION….please submit a response

5:22

What building(s) or monuments are you planning to light up blue?

5:22

Comment From Caitlyn

The student center

5:22

Comment From Guest

Library, student center, and quad

5:23

Comment From Guest

Dorms

5:23

Comment From Lori – staff

I would love for the University to light up the main administrative building ~ Boyden Hall.

5:23

Comment From Rosalie

Demaray Hall Clocktower

5:23

Comment From Jessica

Mascot statue and our university’s main sign

5:23

Comment From Kimberly

Hey something I haven’t seen … let’s try and get towns or cities lite up blue that day

5:23

Comment From Rob and LK @ Gettysburg

Our main historic Building, Penn hall

5:24

Comment From Guest

I would like to light up College Hall here at Smith College, MA. It is very visible.

5:24

Comment From Theresa

I requested my school to light of the University Hall which is the first building you would see if you walked onto campus or the Campus Center

5:24

Comment From Kasia

We have a building that is a historic building here that just got new led lights so the building is always lit up and they can make them change different colors.

5:24

Comment From Susan

Will encourage everyone to wear blue April 2nd

5:24

Comment From Guest

Main building

5:24

Comment From Jasmine

The preschool I work for, the quad at the college and my house!

5:24

Comment From Kasia

Possibly our Mountaineer statue as well

5:24

Comment From Theresa

University Hall or the Campus Center

5:25

Comment From Guest

We are planning on having a block party on April 2nd. We’ll be having blue bracelets that light up, so we can do a countdown for sunset and have students light theirs up then.

5:25

Comment From Mike

We’re lighting up all the dinning halls on campus blue

5:26

Comment From Brooklyn at ISU

I love that block party idea

5:26

In addition to lighting up a building blue, host an event on April 2, or throughout the month of April!

Another QUESTION for everyone….what awareness and fundraising events are you planning for Light It Up Blue & World Autism Awareness Day?

5:34

Don’t be shy….what events are you planning on April 2nd?

5:34

Comment From Rob and LK @ Gettysburg

trying to get the entire campus to wear blue, trying to light up a couple buildings, facts will be written throughout the ground in crayon, and we will be passin out info cards as well as wrapping trees up in blue tape

5:35

Comment From Mike

We’re having an all blue relay race on campus. $20 a team to register. The team with the most creative uniform wins a gift card which was donated.

5:35

Comment From Guest

We are getting shops around the university to post facts, make donations, and decorate their stores blue throughout the month of April.

5:35

Comment From Caitlyn

I was thinking a run/walk race and if that wasn’t possible an Autism Awareness BINGO night where the prizes would be blue

5:35

Comment From Jasmine

I plan on baking blue treats, cupcakes, cookies, cakepops and getting crafty by making blue flower headbands. Also, I plan on wearing blue as much as possible through out April! My 4 yr old son has autism and he makes my whole world a better place!

5:35

Comment From Lori – staff

My hope/plan is to get the involvement started at my campus! I love the ideas people are posting though!!

5:36

Comment From Susan

Blue Sidewalk chalk might be cool

5:36

Comment From Anna

We’re setting up a blue hair extension booth from April 2-6 on campus.

5:36

Comment From Lakesha

A scavenger hunt using puzzle pieces as clue cards, having students and faculty wear blue and having a walk.

5:36

Comment From Theresa

Aside from having a building lit up blue, we are trying to get everyone to wear blue and I was having trouble coming up with an idea but I really love the idea of the cake pop fundraiser attached to fact cards. And Sunday April 1st is our walk.

5:37

Comment From Caitlyn

Also I was thinking of painting a bunch of puzzles blue and hiding the pieces around our student center and the library and the person with the most pieces got a prize

5:37

Comment From Vicky Cid

we will be wrapping trees in blue ribbon, posting fact puzzle pieces into the ground with stakes, chalking facts onto the ground, lighting up a building blue, teaming up with our student body to hold awareness events like a blueberry pie eating contest, trivia bowl, etc… and teaming up with a local bar to raise funds

5:37

Comment From Rosalie

Will try to light up the buidling, blue ribbons around trees, mass emails to student to wear blue, and a fundraiser

5:38

Comment From Kasia

We are celebrating the entire week. We’re going to get a banner and have people sign but I’m liking the puzzle piece campaign better. Selling blue or puzzle piece printed ribbon. Selling wristbands. Giving out prizes to people we see wearing blue in support. Try to do a walk and have a game night. Having a guest speaker. On the 2nd we are also having a party (if the weather is nice) out by the building that we are lighting up blue.

5:38

Comment From Jasmine

My house will be decorated with Light It Up Blue and blue decor inside and out!

5:39

Comment From Michelle

We’re having a powder-puff football game with a few different sororities on campus. All the funds raised go to Autism Speaks! We’re getting the Greek Council & Student Government Assoc. to encourage everyone to attend.

5:39

All awesome ideas! There is one GREAT way to promote your events and that is through texting.

5:39

How many emails do you open? 1 out of every 10.How many text do you open? ALL

5:40

Send a text to 10 people. Include the event info. and ask them to forward the text on to 10 of their friends.

1. Distribute awareness materials outside the building being lit up, so students connect the color blue to autism and Autism Speaks U.

5:42

2. Remember to take pictures! Contact your school’s newspaper or photography club and ask them take a high resolution picture of the building being lit blue and of your events.
We promote all of the schools that we receive pictures from.

5:43

3. Don’t start from scratch…use our promotional materials to get the word out!

5:43

Click the links below to download the items and print them off.

5:44

Side note: We’ll be posting the transcript from this Q&A later on the Autism Speaks U Facebook (www.facebook.com/autismspeaksu), so you’ll be able to access the links again.

Remember to email autismspeaksu@autismspeaks.org when your school CONFIRMS what building will be lit up and/or you have a confirmed event planned for Light It Up Blue.

5:47

We promote all the schools that participate in Light It Up Blue and want to include your campus!

5:47

We have a few minutes left, and wanted to take one more poll, before we open it up to questions.

5:47

Do you prefer attending a monthly Facebook Q&A or would you rather have a monthly conference call?

Conference call: ( 11% )

Facebook Q&A: ( 89% )

5:49

Good to know that we all love Facebook!

5:49

Now, please ask any questions about what was discussed or about the Autism Speaks U program.

5:50

We’ll share these questions, so everyone can learn from each other. If you have tips/suggestions please provide those as well.

5:50

Comment From Kim

If I’m having trouble getting my school to Light It Up Blue, who should I contact?

5:50

Kim, please contact your school’s president and/or student activities director. Download a sample letter template that you can modify and send to your school at http://bit.ly/liubletter.

5:51

Comment From Mojdeh

How long does it take to start an Autism Speaks U chapter?

5:51

Mojdeh, it can take some students 1-2 months, while 6 months+ for others. It depends on your school’s process, and if you finish all the required Autism Speaks U paperwork.

5:51

Comment From Isabel

If we’re having an event can we use the Autism Speaks U logo on our flyer?

5:52

We have a specific Autism Speaks U logo that is used for people hosting events. Please email jaclyn.renner@autismspeaks.org, explain your event and we’ll provide the correct logo.

5:53

We do ask that you submit a proof to us of ALL items using the Autism Speaks U logo before it gets printed/distributed.

5:53

Comment From John

To Kim, I have found that getting the Local TV station involved can sometimes push things in the right direction.. Be Nice…

5:53

Comment From Lakesha

I am having trouble getting my school to light it up. The presidents secretary is not letting us get through, and other faculty are not showing up to meetings we have scheduled to talk about plans

5:54

We have had students email the school President directly and explain WHY it is important to light it up blue. Explain to them what this day/campaign means. You can also CC other school administration on the email, so they are appear about it as well.

5:54

Comment From Jasmine

If I host an Autism Awareness/Light It Up Blue party at my house, will you still be willing to send banners and additional materials?

5:55

Absolutely! Email us the details.

5:55

Comment From Kasia

As far as selling t-shirts are we allowed to sell the shirts from the website or does it have to be designed that we created to sell?

5:56

You can sell shirts from the website or from other places that you purchased them. Completely up to you!

5:56

Comment From Kim

John- That’s a great idea. I was thinking of contact our school and local news paper and TV station to see if they would publicize what we’re trying to do.

5:56

Comment From Mojdeh

How to you go about getting sponsors for events? My school has said that once my chapter is approved I am given $200 for the year.

5:58

Contact local businesses, restaurants, shops, etc. Stop by stores close to campus and explain to them what a sponsor for your event/chapter would entail.

My front door light has been Blue since April 2 2011 and my neighbor as well.Our lights are on 24/7 for my son John who was diagnosed in 2008 in 5th grade. his doctor said he could label him with many things but wanted to wait till he got older. He has so many signs of Autism I love him with my whole heart and soul <3

autism speaks is a great place, i’ve had my blue light on for almost a year.my son and his father also has it on for 24 hrs /365 days, my grandson was diagnosed in 2010.at a little over 2 yrs old. i pray for him everyday. he is such a lovable little guy. alsways hugging and kissing me. loves his daddy.